Martha Seely’s inspirations live among the stars. Based in Massachusetts, the designer handcrafts pieces that reference constellations and galaxies. “I didn’t choose the universe as my muse. It chose me,” she says. “The sky, the stars, the moon… they’ve unified people across the world for eons. That really excites me. I can make jewellery that unites people — and makes them feel beautiful. That is amazing.”
Raised in a modernist home surrounded by Danish furniture, with household goods designed by Georg Jensen, Orrefors and Kosta Boda, and Marimekko fabrics, Martha’s design language today reflects that “simple and clean” aesthetic. “Even our china pattern was Danish (Royal Copenhagen),” she recalls.
“What comes out now is what I was surrounded with as a child –– contemporary, but with a hint of mid-century Scandinavia,” says Martha of her work.
Studying costume designing at Carnegie Mellon, embarking on a decades-long career in costume design for film, theatre and television all laid the groundwork for Martha’s sensitivity to storytelling and silhouette. But it was a metalsmithing course in college that planted the earliest seeds. “I always loved making things in metal. It was unlike anything I’d done before. Later, after working in graphic design and costume, I picked up jewellery again –– and it just took over my life.”
Her career was great for many years. But over time, she wanted “more of a creative outlet and began taking art classes at the local museum nearby.” Their jewellery studio, she adds, was a big draw. “There is something fundamental in me that “needs” to create,” the designer remarks. “I have created art and craft since I was a child. The learning, the process, the joy of watching it come together, spurs me to design. I was raised with art, craft and music surrounding me. It was truly what I loved to do.”
Martha’s transition into jewellery design was instinctive and almost accidental. “There was no grand plan. I made a piece, then wanted to make another that was more beautiful. One thing led to another.” Her first trade shows came in 2012, but her work truly coalesced into a recognisable design language by 2016. “And from 2019, it’s grown into what it is today.”
Every Martha Seeley piece, also informed by mid-century Scandinavian design, begins with an idea and a sketch. “I look at lighting, art history, the shapes of galaxies. I sketch constantly –– then I edit, rework, and refine.” A sense of quiet motion runs through her lines: spirals and spheres cluster like constellations; asymmetric stone cuts evoke galactic movement. “I’m drawn to curves, to negative space. There’s very little in nature that’s square.”
Gemstones are essential; always colourful, often overlooked, she points out. “When I started, I couldn’t afford diamonds. So, I focused on stones that looked beautiful to my eyes. Swiss blue topaz, peridot, amethyst –– those colours in a rock? How could you not fall in love?”
A luminous ode to starlight, the Constellation collection traces celestial clusters through bezel-set round stones — its sub-lines, Milky Way, Supernova and Solstice, orbit around a shared cosmic geometry. Begun in 2019, the line bloomed during the isolation of lockdown, with vibrant colour as an emotional balm. “Colour makes people happy,” says Martha. “And that was the only brief I needed.”
Named for the radiant constellation, the Lyra is a modular line imagined with brides and their many events in mind. “It’s elegant, adaptable, and joyfully modern,” Martha says. Angular London Blue Topaz baguettes meet delicate diamond melee, offering clean sparkle with a tonal depth that can just as easily pair with white zircons.
Inspired by that fleeting twilight moment when the sky burns blue and orange, Blue Hour explores contrast and stillness. Its sub-line, Eclipse, draws on celestial choreography as tiny gems mimic the lunar shadow sliding across the sun. Initially set with Welo opals, Martha is currently experimenting with aquamarine, kyanite and other stones to capture the same ephemeral mood.
A kinetic tribute to exploding supernovas, Starburst is her most recent collection featuring clustered sapphires, tsavorites and diamonds that radiate outwards in precise asymmetry. Her newest pieces, like a skinny bracelet and ring, continue the momentum. “It’s a collection in motion,” she says, “and I’m just getting started.”
Lately, Martha’s been fascinated by locally mined Maine tourmalines and Oregon sunstones and their coppery schiller and kaleidoscopic hues. The designer says she would “love to make a lot of pieces” using this stone. But so far, has only had the opportunity to buy one piece and had it cut. For Martha, building a jewellery brand has been a lesson in slow burn success. “It takes years to be seen. I entered design competitions because I couldn’t afford advertising. But I kept going. And I hope my work is still valued by people who want something different.”
She’s candid about the challenges too. “As a woman in costume design, I aged out. We’re not as ‘cute’ or ‘willing to do whatever it takes’ to get ahead. With jewellery, I feel driven. I want to leave a legacy of unique beauty.” Despite awards and recognition, self-doubt lingers on in her mind. “There are days I wonder if my wins are just flukes. That’s a very female thing, I think. But I’m still here. I’m still designing.”
Her studio is a solo act — collaborating with a trusted manufacturer in Thailand and working hands-on through every phase for her silver and gold designs. “I don’t have a company. I hire as needed. But I couldn’t have done it without them,” she says of the manufacturer certified with the Responsible Jewellery Council. “They use only responsibly sourced gems.”
Martha is currently working with the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum to create jewellery using their stones and her designs. A fitting collaboration for a designer whose vision is as much about grounding as it is about stargazing.